Jesus was fond of metaphors and, of course, parables.

The Jesus I know is also a bit of a jokester. He may very well have said to people something like, "if you want eternal life, you must believe in me,"

But, as I understand him, he's also the kind of guy who will greet you at the pearly gates and say, "Believe in me now?"

And then, even if you still say you don't, he'll say, "Well, come on in, anyway. You will."